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9 Sep 2016

Couple fined for illegal sub-letting

A married couple who sublet a four-bedroom house in North Wembley that they were renting to 20 people have been fined more than £10,000.

Daniel and Alima Borzos of Peel Road, duped the letting agency managing the property into signing them up as tenants after claiming they would live there with their small child.

Instead the couple squeezed 16 mattresses into the house and are believed to have had up to 20 people living there.

Brent enforcement officers made the discovery after they raided the property in April.

Willesden Magistrates Court found them guilty of failing to provide evidence of their tenancy and fined Mrs Borzos £7,000 and Mr Borzos £2,000, while each must pay costs of £497 and a victim surcharge of £170. They have now left the property.

Their prosecution brings to a total 35 rogue landlords who have been successfully convicted this year under a licensing scheme which aims to improve standards in the private rental sector in Brent.

Among them are Rehan Sheikh, who was given a four month prison sentence and fined a total of nearly £20,000 for illegally evicting the tenants of his unlicensed property in Wembley Park Drive, Wembley.

The following month Paul Fenton was fined almost £18,000 for refusing to renovate his unlicensed flat on Walm Lane, Cricklewood.

In August, Tilak Raj Sarna was fined almost £40,000 for squeezing 24 tenants into his house on Bowrons Avenue, Wembley, which had been licensed to accommodate seven people.

Cllr Harbi Farah, cabinet member for housing at Brent Council, said: “This case once again demonstrates the importance of Brent’s private sector licensing scheme. “While there are many good landlords in Brent who have licensed their properties, there’s still a minority who haven’t, who are operating illegally and exploiting people for profit. We will always push for the strongest penalties against unlicensed properties in Brent, so we’re pleased to see rogue landlords likes the Borzos’ receive a substantial punishment.”

Most private landlords in Brent are legally required to obtain a licence from the council.